What We Do

The Voices Project is a grassroots advocacy movement that is changing the way America thinks about recovery, one voice at a time. We show our faces and we tell our stories. By working closely with people in recovery, their families, and other advocacy groups, The Voices Project is dedicated to raising up the voices of people whose lives are affected by addiction. From direct outreach to voter registration, we focus on centering recovery and engaging people in advocacy in a new, vital, and meaningful way.

Heroin overdoses kill one person in the United States every four minutes. One in three households is affected by addiction. Now, 23 million people identify as having a substance use disorder, either active or in remission. However, we are not powerless and we’re not anonymous. Together, we can affect real, meaningful change and transform the way our nation treats addiction.

In the last few years alone, America has experienced epidemic-level increases in drug related deaths. This is not normal and it’s not acceptable. We are facing the consequences of unchecked pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution, the stigma of addiction, and ignorance about the nature of substance use disorder. Although addiction is a spectrum illness, long term support and a comprehensive network of care are practically nonexistent. It’s clear that we need to raise our standards, not just our expectations.

Emergency rooms and first responders, treatment professionals, healthcare providers, jails and institutions, and community resources are overwhelmed. It’s clear that we need a better, smarter, more inclusive approach to recovery that affects every aspect of American culture. The Voices Project calls for radical, immediate reform. We need both direct action and policy change at the national level in order to stop the drug epidemic and save lives. The Voices Project connects the voices of grassroots organizers with decision makers in Congress and the White House to ensure that recovery solutions are a priority.

Recovery voices are critical to creating change. There should be no decisions about us, without us. The Voices Project gives people in recovery a seat at the table, so that our community’s real needs and experiences can be represented as we make strides toward helping America recover.